Martinsburg gazette. (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1886-1887, 1887-02-11
A TERRIBLE DISASTER
PART OF A TRAIN FALLS SIXTY
FEET FROM A BRIDGE.
A Rail Broken BY the Intense Cold,
Caused the Accident.


Saturday morning Of disaster in which
about thirty five persons lost their lives and
fully thirty other persons were injured
more or less severely. a rail, broken, it is
thought, BY the intense cold, caused two
passenger coaches and two sleeping cars
Of the Montreal express train to leave
tho rails At the approach To the bridge.
The coupling with the Harvard part Of the
train broke. Tho last four cars fell upon the
ice which covered the river at the bottom Of
2 rocky gorge sixty feet in depth. The
bridge which was Of wood, gave way and
flames which destroyed the cars. Both
the passenger coaches wire crowded
and there were twenty-five persons
In one OF the sleeping cars and ninc in the
other. 1t Is estimated that the number Of
eighty these not more than ten ns escaped 1si
unhurt. Many Of the passengers were on
the way to Montreal to enjoy the carnival.
Nearly all those who lost their lives were
burned to death. BY Saturday night
thirty-five bodies in all had been taken
out Of the wreck. Only eight of this NUM-
Der were in any manner recognizable. De-
tails Of the calamity are as follows:
Tho Inflated train consisted of two sec
tions. one from Boston comprising the Pull
man sleeper Puritan, an ordinary passenger
coach, mail and baggage car, and the
other section from Springfield, Mass.
including the Pullman sleeper ST.
Adams and q common passenger car.
Both parts we're united at White River and
started for Montreal via the Central Yer
mont or Grand Trunk line. The train was
nearly an hour late.
Wost Hartford, the scene of the awful
calamity. is 4 small hamlet on the White
River. The population consists of farmers,
whose homes arc quite widely scattered. AT
this point the Central Vermont Railroad
crosses tho r1vcr obliquely. The bridge. q
of its character in the country It spans the
river at the height of sixty feet The river
was frozen solidly, ice to the thickness of
several inches having formed on it Tho
cold was intense, the thermometer register
ing about twelve degrees below zero.
At the time the accident happened. the
train was running about forty miles an hour.
The locomotive had nearly passed the bridge
when the attention of the engineer was snd-
denly attracted by something unusual. and
III looking back, the night being a fine moon
light one, he saw the last four cars 90 over the
river in the gorge below. The baggage and
mail cars crossed the bridge in safety. AS
soon as possible the train was stoDnad and
tho railroad EMPLOYEES and q few mas
sengers in the smoking Commandment Of
the mail car went to the relief Of those
IN tho wreck. The d scent of the steen en-
bankment was sneedily made and when thew
arrived where thew exDeated to find the de-
taehe1 portion OF the train thev discovered
the four cars bottom M On the ice Flames
immediately burst forth.
Tho scene at tie bridge was "a awfnl that
Ii beggars DESCRIPTION. MINGLED with tia mn
roar Of the fire we. e the cries of the imDris-
oned passengers crying aHeInl Hahn
Helpn The Few nassenpors who were
IN tho .ssmoker, and tho EMPLOYEES Of the
railroad and the mail service we're strucly
Iurnb at the terrible sioht before than The
most collected men rendered what little SER
u;co we ,oss;Ila b,,t AZ baa+ IS ~ Seat
-. ,yeto oAAo A.Ses - Wv AoSo